Though I don’t regard myself as being excessively health conscious, I must say that one of the hardest things to shop for is getting a drink that’s healthy, hydrating and relatively cheap without being loaded with sugar.

Did you know that the average daily sugar consumption is over 70g?

That just sounds insane. But when a 20-ounce soda can contain almost 70g of sugar, you see how at the end of the day, you might have consumed maybe double that amount of sugar.

3 Simple Things Hydrating Drinks Need to be:

• No junk added

• Hydrating without causing dehydration

• Relatively cheap

So, having spent some time in different shops, trying to choose drinks that fulfill the three criteria above, I have been looking at different green teas, especially Matcha Green Tea.

So why do I think Matcha green tea meets these criteria?

There are many green teas. However, having tried the Keiko range which is grown in Japan and made in Germany , I’m happy with this brand.

Matcha green teas are rich in anti-oxidants, nutrients, fibre and chlorophyll; contain no added sugar or salt and easy to prepare.

Anti-oxidants are cancer fighters that help to eliminate those nasty cancer-causing chemicals from our bodies.

• For Energy boost

Do you need a boost of sustained energy to get you through your day? Matcha provides sustained energy of up to six hours through a combination of caffeine and natural compounds.

Maybe next time you feel like eating those crisp, doughnuts or cookies for an energy boost, when you are feeling so tired, you might want to try Matcha or similar green tea.

You could also try Matcha sprinkled on your drinks, salads or smoothies!

• As Calorie Burner

Matcha boosts metabolism and burns fat without harmful effects like raised blood pressure,raised heart rates or harmful diet sugars. Eating or drinking Matcha teas is an excellent way to enhance the way our bodies burn calories without stressing them out.

• For Detoxing

Matcha can cleanse and purge our bodies to get rid of harmful chemicals and heavy metals. Matcha is grown in the shade and contains much higher levels of chlorophyl than other green teas.

Chlorophyll gives plants and Matcha their green colour and is a strong detoxifier.
We can help our bodies safely detox with Matcha teas.

As a Relaxant & Mood Enhancer

Matcha contains L-Theanine which is an amino acid that is known to have mind relaxing properties. The amino acids in Matcha provide a relaxed and sustained calmness of mind over several hours.

As Nutrition Powerhouse

Matcha also contains polyphenols, dietary fibres, Calcium,Potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin C and Folic Acid.
No wonder Matcha is called a superfood and we are very passionate about it.

Having tried to limit my family’s sugar intake while consuming fruit juices, smoothies and fruit juice drinks, I think it’s just impossible because they mostly contain too much sugars with different names!

According to WHO ( World Health Organisation) our recommended daily sugar limit is 6g ( 1g sugar = 1/4 teaspoon).
Remember this 6g of sugar includes all the sugars in our foods (check the various names sugar is hidden in our foods and drinks).

Of course this includes the sugar we add to our foods, coffee and tea. So, it’s easy to see why we need to slash our sugar consumption, especially when one drink can contain five times this sugar. That is not even counting the sugar in our bars, cereals…..

Now looking at the picture above how many teaspoons of sugar do you estimate you eat and drink every day?

As for me and my family, I think we are still having more than this 6g of sugar the WHO recommends us to consume daily.

Actually, I have got some orange juice in my fridge as I write this. But I have been able to gradually reduce the amount of fruit juice we consume to one pack a week.

I did this over several months, using these simple steps to slash our sugar consumption!

Otherwise, there might have been a family revolt! 🙂

Introduce healthier alternatives to processed sugar!

At the same time I introduced green teas, herbal teas and matcha into our home as part of our “get healthier lifestyle”.

This way, it’s been easier to reduce our sugar intake, even when we haven’t hit the 6g target.

Would love to hear your opinion. Could you take these simple steps to slash your sugar consumption?

What are you doing to get yourself and your family in living healthier?

To your health & well-being!

Cecilia Scheyerle MPharm

www.swellmax.com

Some Facts about sugar consumption

Evidence shows most adults and children in the UK and the United States consume more sugar than is recommended as part of a healthy balanced diet

Food and drinks that have a lot of added sugar contain calories, but often have few other nutrients

Sugary foods and drinks can also cause tooth decay, especially when eaten between meals

Sugar found naturally in whole fruit is less likely to cause tooth decay than juices or blends because the sugar is contained within the body of the fruit

Author: Authority Wellbeing

Authority Wellbeing was created by a trained pharmacist, who is passionate about better wellness. She believes getting and maintaining optimum health & well-being is better done with simple, personalised lifestyle techniques.
She believes you can feel better, look better and have abundant energy, all without starving yourself or health fads.
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